The Mavericks Watch the X series
by TheGirlWithFarTooManyIdeas
Summary: When X and Zero slash through the various virus infected warriors, they find themselves waking up in a strange hub room where they watch the Blue and Red heroes blast through many adversities. The former Mavericks laugh, joke, reminisce, wince over their ruined former lives, question how the hell Dr Light made so many capsules, and make friends for the second life. Humour and fluff
1. Chapter 1

**The Mavericks Watch the X Series**

 _ **Wanda: This was a fun idea for me to work on. I got it while reading a lovely story - Paint My GoodBye Red - and realize that the whole X timeline is, well, kinda sad. I always prefer me some happy endings, or at least the sound of some happiness. That and I was feeling in a sort of spirit mood, and I wanted to explore my favourite mavericks who end up slashed to bits for great justice! They'll be watching the games, drinking, commenting on some of the sillier or stranger aspects of the series, and the end will be quite nice -at least I hope so!**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Mega Man...if I had, X7 would have run very differently, and X9 and Legends would have been made.**_

 **Chapter 1: X1 part 1 – I Die Free**

Chill Penguin was the first one to enter the Cyber Space Room.

The first thing he noticed was that...the hatred was gone. That awful, all consuming loathing, the need to destroy, the rabies that had infected his thoughts and utterly suppressed the good person he had once been. With no one to watch him, Chill Penguin wept with relief, thanking Mega Man X over and over for his good heart, his courage, and his selflessness.

Chill knew the gentle reploid had hated violence. He had known Thomas Light's masterpiece since shortly after he came online and was inducted into the Maverick Hunters. X stood awkwardly on the sidelines, all smiles and certainty about justice, always offering comfort and support to a Hunter who came back from a mission exhausted. While Chill never would have admitted it, he admired that about X. The humans, while often well intentioned, often looked upon him as though he was simply a complicated piece of machinery without true autonomy, or true emotions.

It was difficult to retire your own kind, especially when you didn't know _why_ it was happening. Chill often returned to the base exhausted, keeping a stoic face for his unit. X noticed. While Chill never directly engaged him in front of a crowd, his words of encouragement were a buoyant on particularly hard days.

When Chill himself went Maverick – _it didn't make any sense, damn it, he hated retiring his own kind, but he didn't hate humanity. He didn't hate those helpless children he sent the mechs after, he didn't hate the people who wept and pleaded for their families lives as he slaughtered them without mercy_ – part of him hoped that X would be the one to come and retire him.

He was in luck, in that department.

After much panic, despair, and coming to terms with what had become of him, Chill finally inspected the strange room he was in.

It was certainly Cyberspace – Reploid afterlife. Chill recognized the textures and feeling from the few times he had come close to death before. However, this was a little...odd, to put it mildly.

He was standing alone in the middle of quite a large room. It looked like something between a Conference room and a longue – there were many couches, beds, and pods to rest on, tables for catering, and above all, a massive screen that hung on the wall directly in front of him.

As Chill stared at it, the screen flickered to life, and he saw the world he had just left.

Specifically...he saw X. The young reploid was testing the weapon he had gained after defeating Chill.

For a moment, Chill looked around. "Is anyone here?" He called out in his scratchy voice. No one answered him.

Was this some sort of punishment? To see what he had done to the world? If so, Chill considered it only just. If that was the case, he would watch this movie and continue to watch it until it finally went black. It was the best he could do for those he had caused to suffer.

"That's about right, kid. It bounces off the walls, and you've got about fifty shots. Use 'em wisely." Chill muttered as he saw X moving forward, leaving the training rooms to take on another mission.

The area X entered next was Spark Mandrills. Chill recognized it from recon. "You already examined Spark's armour, X? It can't take low temperatures. Smart. Spark's very mean when he's angry...and that virus has enough hatred for all the world..."

X made some rookie mistakes along the way to Mandrill. Chill wasn't too surprised. X had always hated violence, and this was only his second mission...and given all that, he was doing spectacularly well, all things considered. Part of it was probably Light's design, but damn, X was a natural. He was blasting through that place like it was nothing.

Eventually X reached Spark Mandrill. Chill smiled sadly at the sight of his comrade; now that he was in Cyberspace, he could see the virus marring Spark's eyes. It wasn't right, dammit. Spark was a big but gentle lug. He cared about all his units and he looked out for small children. He wasn't a murderer, a monster, like Chill had become.

X pointed his buster at Mandrill. "Stand down. This doesn't have to end in violence."

Chill leaned forward. "C'mon, kid – don't be a fool. Give him an opening and he'll take it. Fight. Fight, damn it!"

Mandrill did in fact, rush X. Luckily for Chill and the world, X responded in kind, eventually blasting him to pieces with Shotgun ice. Chill flinched with every shot, and looked down when Mandrill exploded into a million pieces.

Suddenly, there was a whine, and Spark appeared in the room with Chill. He shook his massive head slowly, still reeling from death, before finally stammering, "Chill?"

"Spark," Chill squaked in surprise.

Spark's expression utterly crumbled, and he collapsed on the floor. "Oh Chill...all those people..."

Chill coughed, unsure what to do. He'd never been good at offering comfort or support. "It was a virus, Spark...I felt it infect me. It's over now."

"Y-Yeah..." Spark's eyes were still terribly haunted. His massive frame shook once, twice, and then he began to weep. It was strange – reploids hadn't been able to cry the same way humans could when they were alive. But here, in cyberspace, Sparks tears flowed freely.

Chill, while unable to say anything, he knelt down next to Spark and put a hand on his shoulder until the massive gentle creature ceased his tears.

"What is this place?"

"Cyberspace, I believe..."

"We're...not in hell?"

"That was my first question..." Chill admitted. "It must be because of the infection. We were just pawns, unable to control our bodies in the end."

Spark pondered this. "Do you think X knows...?"

"He's a smart kid. Between him and Zero, they'll find out eventually." Chill smiled ruefully. "You know, some part of me always thought, that if X were to become a fully fledged hunter, I could retire without any guilt."

To Chill's surprise, Spark nodded in agreement. "Yeah."

The penguin reploid had almost forgotten that Spark had taught some of X's classes in basic training. While some of the commanders hadn't thought X's compassion was an asset, Spark had. He encouraged it, even when it meant lower test scores when hostages were taken and X would freeze up. _We can't forget why life's important,_ Spark told the blue hero. _Or else what are we fighting for?_

"I'm sorry I attacked you, X." Spark said mournfully, looking up at the screen. It seemed to be waiting for them to collect themselves, just hovering outside Hunter Command as the sun set. X was silently looking down at the damaged city. "I know what you must be feeling."

"X is strong in ways we weren't." Chill remarked. "He'll achieve things we never could."

Spark eyed him in surprise. "I thought you didn't praise students."

Chill smirked. "Well, he killed my virus self, didn't he? He's hardly a student now."

The screen shifted slightly, following X until the next day. The blue reploid was deeply troubled, wandering around through most of the night until he had to charge in order to take on a mission in the morning. The only person who seemed to notice his distress was Zero, who gave him a quick, matter of fact pep talk – _I know you're hurting, X. But those people out there are depending on us. Let's see if we can end this without more death._

"Straightforward as ever." Spark said with a sigh. "Commander Zero never wears his emotions on his sleeve, does he?"

X's next mission was Storm Eagle and his airship, which was heading towards Abel City. The twosome sat in silence, watching the fights on bated breath. Neither of them had seen how Storm had upgraded his ship since he became infected; Sigma had ensured that they were all separated while committing the terror attacks.

"That isn't Storm's style...lord, I can barely recognize him," Spark said, stunned as he saw the ship explode on command, falling into the ground below. Had X been any slower, it would have crashed onto human populated areas.

X jumped onto the detached ship and confronted Storm. Both Chill and Spark felt vaguely ill to see easily the most principled of their comrades with a mad smirk on his face. There were oil stains on his hands, and there were no prizes to guess where that came from.

"X hasn't picked up his weakness, has he?" Spark asked Chill in concern as the fight began.

"Given that we're the only two here, I guess not," Chill responded with a frown. "Well, he beat _me_ without my weakness."

He was right, on that end. X used quick thinking to bring Storm down to earth before finally blasting him straight open. X's expression became truly pained as he looked down at the remains of his opponent's body. " _I never wanted this..._ "

Another flash lit the chamber for a second. Chill and Spark turned to see Storm Eagle materialize right behind them, his hands up to protect his face. Slowly he lowered them and surveyed his companions with shock. After a second, he slumped down on the nearest couch.

"It's gone...the rage is finally gone."

"You too, Storm?" Spark asked carefully.

Storm Eagle nodded. "It was Sigma. He infected every commander under him. The virus was contained in his body. I was infected while getting repairs."

"The irony," Chill noted bitterly. "Our fearless leader was the Maverick we were searching for...and he dragged us down with him."

"Then...this is cyberspace..." Storm looked around. "Are we the only ones here?"

"It seems so." Spark said. "Chill was here before me, but we've been alone until you showed up."

There was a small, friendly giggle. The three former Maverick Hunters looked around wildly before seeing the small crystal form of a cyber elf float over them and hover near the screen. The form shivered, momentarily appearing as a young woman with messy brown hair. She wore a white dress with a blue crystal necklace and golden lace at the edges. She had armoured dash boots, coloured like human children's shoes. She smiled warmly at them, hazel brown eyes soft with empathy, before vanishing again.

"What was that?" Chill asked in alarm.

Spark's brow furrowed, his mind darting back to the moment of his death. "I think...she might be our host...I heard that giggle right before my body froze over permanently."

"I heard it too." Storm admitted. "I thought I was imagining it..."

Storm had never very spiritual. He tended to believe there was no place for it in what he had to do as a Hunter. Sometimes others had wondered if it was because he couldn't bring himself to, or couldn't reconcile it with having to kill his own kind.

"Why hasn't she spoken to us?" Chill wondered.

"...Perhaps she wishes to have a full house?" Spark offered tentatively. "Now that there are three of us here...I think we're being collected."

The three pondered that thought in silence for a moment. Why would a cyber elf...or any one, rescue the spirits of Mavericks? Did they deserve that now, after what they had done under the influence of the virus?

"So...X really did defeat you two." Storm smiled wanely at his companions, drawing the conversation elsewhere. "I underestimated him."

"That seems to be the theme," Chill remarked. All three hunters returned their attention to the screen, where X was conversing with Zero and Dr Cain in the mission control room. "Now, if I were X, I'd go after Mammoth now that he has access to the Storm Tornado."

"Looks like it," Spark agreed as X walked over to the transporter again.

Flame Mammoth's stage had been flooded with coolant after Chill had died, leaving no one to monitor the temperature controls. X sprinted through the stage, destroying the mechs and collecting useful fragments to upgrade his armours defence...before digging through the ceiling to reach another capsule left behind by Doctor Light.

"Dig with the head? The doc must have been getting old when he made that..." Chill remarked, frowning slightly. He generally preferred practical designs, so things like this made him cringe, even if they were made by a famous genius.

"I'm surprised he still had the strength to create the armours after he finished designing X..." Storm said. "He was an old man when he created the original robot masters all those years ago, and X was his masterpiece. Maybe he left robots to create the designs after he died."

X proceeded further into the pit.

Storm gawped, dignity forgotten, when he took a good look at some of the bodies Flame was leaving in his wake. Reploids with holes melted through their chest, the burnt corpses of the humans who had worked in the plant at first. Spark choked and stared down at his feet, unable to continue watching. Chill's expression hardened, keeping his emotions close to his chest as he always had.

The Flame they knew, while harsh and a tough teacher, was always fair. He believed in dispatching Mavericks without causing undue suffering. "My god..." Storm sputtered.

Chill set his jaw. "Hurry, X." He muttered as X burst into the boss's control room. "Don't let him escape from here, or he'll continue doing this..."

X was enraged and sad simultaneously as he confronted Flame Mammoth. This loss of life inflamed the blue reploid's resolve, and he entered battle with the charged Tornado at the ready. Mammoth usually relied on his massive bulk and ability to control a room in a fight, the trade off being incredibly slow. X ran circles around the bigger maverick, blasting him repeatedly until the Tornado punched a hole straight through the chest piece, tearing Mammoth in half.

He ended up like many of his victims.

A familiar buzz filled the room. Chill, Spark and Storm turned around to see Flame manifesting in the room. The flame maverick looked around the room in stunned silence, before slowly collapsing to the floor and weeping quietly. Spark silently walked over to him and stood by his side as his friend mourned what he had become. Chill and Storm stood awkwardly at the side, unsure what to say to offer comfort.

Eventually Flame managed to recompose himself enough to address them. "Chill? Storm? So X is getting us all."

Chill nodded. "He's more powerful than he seemed."

"His ability to destroy things isn't his greatest asset." Spark said quietly. "X took twice as long to reach me so he could rescue workers I had imprisoned...that is what makes him great."

Flame nodded, shuddering. "Those people I killed..."

"You were infected, Flame." Chill said simply. "Whatever happened out there was outside our control. ...It's good to see the real you again."

"You saw all that?" Flame smiled weakly. "I'm glad the real me still exists."

A giggle flittered across the room again. The four looked up in surprise to see the cyber elf again, hovering by one of the tables. She winked playfully before vanishing again. A brilliant flash went by, and several enormous mugs of E crystals came into existence.

"What?" Spark blurted, wandering over to the table. "Those are for us?"

That soft giggle floated across the room again. "I'll take that as a yes." Storm guessed with a small grin, before picking up one mug and knocking it back. He jumped slightly. "Whoa! It's hard and cold."

"Your favorite?" Flame suggested, eyeing the mugs with renewed interest.

"Yeah. ...You know, I think we're in good hands." Storm said. He was definitely grinning now.

 **End Chapter**

 _ **The cyber elf girl will get some backstory eventually, but for right now I want to focus on my lovely Mavericks. I'm using bits of their personalities from Megaman Maverick Hunter and personal headcannons - I hope you guys enjoyed it! Next time, we get the last four, and Storm/Chill get a little drunk.**_

 _ **Read and Review please!**_


	2. Chapter 2

**The Maverick Hunters Watch the X series**

 _ **Wanda: I've decided that X1 shall be covered in three parts instead of two, because I had too much to say about our favourite mavericks! Seriously, once I got started, I just kept going, and I'm pretty happy about that!**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Mega Man, unfortunately. X, Zero and Axl are still my husbands in my head!**_

 **Chapter 2: X1 part 2 - Collection Week**

"That was wonderful," Storm Eagle told the ceiling, having finished off his third and final mug of EC. "Thank you."

The soft, feminine giggle that followed made it clear the four former maverick's appreciation was heard and welcome. Their cyber elf rescuer seemed content to let them speak among themselves; perhaps focused on the task at hand of collecting further souls. Not that any of them minded, at the moment – while they all certainly wished to express their gratitude, adjusting to being dead and having omnipotent view of their living world was still taking some time.

Speaking of which, the large screen, which had lain dormant while the hunters were drinking, flickered back to life. "Look, our show's on," Chill said with some dark humour, earning a chuckle from Storm and a disapproving look from Spark. Nevertheless, they all piled into the front row as X took to the screen again.

"That's Armor's base!" Spark exclaimed as X transferred into the large mountain.

"He's really put out all the stops," Chill said in awe. Armoured Armadilo had remade and reinforced his entire base of operations. "X must have left quite the impression."

"Armour always enjoyed high staked battles." Flame reminisced, wincing sympathetically when X was thrown through a wall by the fast moving mine cart. "I think he was getting bored, even before the infection set in. Only sparring with Zero satisfied him, and the stakes weren't life and death then."

X came to a nervous halt right in front of the double doors leading to the heart of the mine. He looked down at his hand, shifting his captured weapon system over to the Electric Spark. "I hope you're right about this, Zero," He said softly, before raising his head and looking at the door. "...A one on one duel..." He whispered.

"One on one?" Storm let out a low whistle. "Feel honoured, X. Only Zero's ever received that invite."

Sure enough, Armour welcomed X into the base with a wry grin. He had a scar over one eye thanks to an enraged Sigma when he requested the duel, which only seemed to have invigorated him. X squared his shoulders, and the two warriors proceeded to duke it out.

Either the screen's 'camera', so to speak, was on slow, or the reploid's heightened optic perceptions remained in cyberspace. Armour moved at top speed, with X nearly burning out his new dash boosters just to keep up. The electric spark was the only weapon that could get under Armadilo's brilliantly designed protective gear. The battle went on for nearly an hour, with the four cyber hunters avidly watching every moment.

Eventually, X finally managed to get the upper hand and blasted away the last of Armour's health. The warrior passed away with a soft smile directed at his opponent. " _You are brilliant...a miracle... Maverick...Hunter...X..."_

X knelt next to Armour's side and wept quietly.

A shimmer distracted Chill and Spark. They stepped up and walked over to the fading blue light, which left Armoured Armadillo lying on his back, staring at the ceiling. For a moment, the friend said nothing, before he punched his hand in the air.

"That...was the best fight I've ever had." Armour said exuberantly. "It was incredible!"

"We know, Armour." Chill said, mock derisively. "We saw."

Armour opened one eye with surprise. "Chill Penguin...? Spark Mandrill? Then this is...?"

"It seems so." Spark responded, offering the armadillo one massive hand. Armour took it with a grin and was pulled to his feet. Flame started clapping, leaning back on his seat with a smirk. Storm got up and walked over, slapping his best friend on the back.

"You did well." Storm said.

"Have you seen that Knight in Shining Armour, X?" Armour bragged on the blue warrior's behalf, grinning. "That kid is something else. He's going to be a legend, remembered for centuries to come."

"I don't doubt that." Storm agreed. Chill nodded. "Come on. Let's see if our lovely hostess has some E cider for you."

Armour's ears perked up. "E cider? Between that fight and being freed of that virus, that's the only way this day could get better."

Sure enough, the cyber elf appeared again. Armour looked at her in awe, his hands lowering to his side. She smiled at him before waving a hand, covering the nearby table with drinks.

"...You didn't say she was an angel." Armour said softly.

"I didn't think we'd need to." Chill responded with a chuckle.

Once Armour had drank until he was content, he joined his friends at the front line of the seats, where the screen started up again. "So Launch is up next." Storm Eagle noted as X transported to the next area. "That makes sense..."

"Launch was rambling about having been 'given a gift' by Sigma last I heard from him," Flame said. A massive sea snake mech cut off X's path a few moments later. The blue hero swore and jumped straight up, landing on the creature's back as it swam ahead with blind fury. "Ah, that must be it."

"It doesn't look like his style," Spark edged with a frown. "Launch never cared for snakes."

"Tearing people apart wasn't our style before we were infected," Chill noted bluntly, causing everyone, including Armour, to wince. "I imagine it's a side effect of the infection."

The snake reappeared for the second time, taking X off guard as he tried to progress. 'What the hell? He _just_ scrapped that thing!" Chill sputtered in confusion.

"Maybe it has an auto repair?" Flame offered uncertainly. "It's certainly possible that there were two of them, and Launch didn't mention it..."

"Launch loves bragging." Armour noted. It was something that always annoyed him about his deep sea counterpart; he thought that a warrior should be more reserved, letting their capabilities speak for them while maintaining a semi stoic demeanour.

"I don't have any other explanation," The large mammoth said with a slightly put-upon sigh.

Finally X reached the boss zone where Launch Octopus came up to confront him.

Launch had clearly heard about Armour's defeat/death, because he was eyeing the blue hero with considerable wariness. Armour was the strongest of the eight commanders who had served under Sigma, aside from Boomer Kuwanger, and while Launch was a braggart, he wasn't a fool.

Launch unleashed a massive flurry of missiles, having always preferred to use brute force to overwhelm his opponents alongside his complete control of the undersea arena. However, X was unlike most opponents unfortunate enough to challenge Launch on his own turf – he had already adapted to the underwater gravity differences, and unleashed the Rolling Shield. X pressed the advantage of surprise, and brought Launch down quickly enough.

Armour shook his head. "I kept telling him he relies too much on controlling the room. He never listened to me."

"That's because of your endless attempts to one up each other." Spark chuckled.

A familiar warping sound filled the air. "Well, you'll get to gloat in person now," Flame noted with a hearty laugh as Launch was deposited on the warm, white tiled floor.

Launch groaned. "Foolish...I knew Boomer was infected by him, and yet I still confronted him alone... should have called for backup."

"You mean Sigma?" Spark asked, walking over to the downed Octopus.

"Yes." Launch sighed and stood up alone, politely declining the offered assistance. "I put the pieces together when I saw what had become of Flame and Boomer..." His eyes widened when he saw all his friends, purged of the virus, surrounding him. "What on earth?!"

"Cyber space." Armour corrected him. "You're still so over specialized, Launch."

"Bite me, Armour." Launch retorted instantly, his confusion and panic melting away instantly. The two stared each other down for a minute before sharing a friendly handshake. "It's so good to see all of you with clear eyes again, my friends."

"Even with the virus controlling me, I still went out in the way I would have wanted." Armour remarked with a smile.

"I heard that, too." Launch chuckled, before his eyes became sad and solemn. "You're the lucky one, Armour. Your mine was far enough out that you didn't end up drowning cruise ships full of innocent people for your own amusement."

Armour instantly dropped the taunting grin and became sympathetic. "That was the virus, Launch. If you were truly yourself, that never would have happened. Lay the blame at the feet where it belongs – at Sigma's."

Launch looked into his best friend's eyes for a long minute before nodding in acceptance. "I'll take your word for it."

"Take it from all of us." Storm chipped in. "We've all been there, Launch..." Both Spark and Flame stared shamefully at the floor. They were still coming to terms with the violent acts they had committed under the virus's sway.

Launch swept his eyes among his companions and nodded, before looking around with some trepdation. "What...what is this place? Purgatory?"

"I don't think so. It's a part of Cyberspace. We were all brought here by a cyber elf. Did you happen to hear a female voice before you died?" Flame asked.

Launch's expression twitched. "Y...Yes. I thought I was imaging it...a young woman. She said...' _hold on to me.'_ " Right before everything became boiling hot..."

The other hunters were surprised. If the cyber elf had said anything to them, they hadn't heard her.

With some coaxing (and copious amounts of E cider), Launch finally agreed to come down to the front row seats and watch the rest of the 'event', as it were. Armour kept cracking jokes at him and teasing him about the manner of his death, which was his way of easing his friend's emotions and getting him to enjoy himself. Chill joined in, and that's what seemed to pull the undersea warrior out of his funk.

X's next stop was Boomer Kuwanger's tower. There was certainly some precedent for it – hunters were ripped in half, mechs shredded, blood spills everywhere across his tower. Even Launch, who was the best at hiding his emotions, visibly balked at some of the scenes of carnage.

"Kuwanger always enjoyed a good scrape, but this is insane." Armour muttered, watching X ascend without incident – because everything in the tower was already dead, killed by the maverick he was chasing. "They never stood a chance, not one of them..."

"He and Sting were assassins at their cores." Flame noted. "Even when the doctors tried to deny that, everyone knew it. They were supposed to be there to put _us_ down if we went rouge...obviously they hadn't planned for this..."

"Oh, they had a plan. It's called Zero." Storm deadpanned, causing a ripple of laughter to spread through the group. "And X, apparently."

"This is going to kill Kuwanger when he comes to," Spark noted sadly. "He was friends with X, remember?"

Chill stopped laughing at that. "I know," He said with a sigh. "He saw more in X than most did, before the war started."

"Damn Sigma." Flame snarled, eyes hardening. "These things aren't his to take away...they're _ours._ Everything that matters to us."

The room became quiet for a moment. A soft croon of sympathy echoed from the walls; the cyber elf girl shimmered next to the screen for a moment. Her eyes were warm and sympathetic.

" _Not all is lost. Not yet._ "

Then she vanished again.

"Can't she stick around long enough to say more?" Launch wondered.

"Hey, she's probably spending a lot of energy hauling our sorry asses out of the fire," Chill said with a rasping laugh. "We should just sit here, wait, and be grateful."

Finally X reached the top of the tower, where Kuwanger faded into view. The infected hunter's biggest weapon was his speed – he could move so quickly that it seemed that he could short range teleport around the room at will. If X hadn't had Launch's weapon when he entered the tower, the ending could likely have been very tragic without divine intervention. (ie, Zero).

X was visibly anguished when he confronted Kuwanger. " _Why are you doing this?... ...I don't want to fight an old friend like you!_ " when Kuwanger's life bled out, he wept, and burned the body as a sign of their old friendship, rather than letting him be scrapped for armour upgrades like the previous reploids had been.

"The doctors won't like that." Chill noted in an undertone.

"To hell with what the doctors want." Storm growled. "I don't see them grinding up human bodies for fertalizer..."

With a flash, Kuwanger appeared in the room. Armour and Launch, being the closest, made their way over. "Boom?" Armour prompted. For a long minute, Kuwanger said nothing. Then-

A single tear. "I'm sorry, X." The hunter rasped softly.

Armour gave Launch a look. "Let's just give him a minute. ...It's okay, Boom."

"...Is this hell?"

"No. We've been purged of the virus. This is cyberspace."

"..." Kuwanger shut his eyes. "...Of course. If this was hell...X never would have taken me out. I would have stayed, trapped like that...forever."

"...There's E cider here, Boom."

"...Good."

Their hostess was extremely accommodating with the cider. Kuwanger got thoroughly drunk and took the time to recover, but he seemed more collected when his head cleared again, so none of his companions ribbed him about making them wait to see more of X's struggles.

"He's at the last of us. ...Sting."

Kuwanger grimaced. "X isn't going to be happy when he gets there."

Well, _no one_ was happy with what they saw when X reached the forest...least of all the gentle blue hero himself. Sting had been given a post deep in a forest. Once the humans had fled or were killed, there was nothing for the virus's bloodlust to target except helpless woodland animals. Anyone with a passing affection for earth's gentler creatures would be sickened by the corpses being strewn all over the forest floor, parts and blood dripping down burnt tree trunks.

"The virus seems to be affecting you two the worst," Storm noted weakly as Flame and Spark both had to avert their eyes, unable to watch any longer.

"I have to agree," Kuwanger said, while Armour wretched and urged X to pick up the pace. "Though your virus form was a contender, Flame."

"...You're not wrong..."

X was emboldened by his righteous anger at this meaningless slaughter, and made it across the floor in record time. Bommer's cutter weapon in hand, he entered the treeline and shouted out for Sting Chameleon. " _Why have you become a monster?!_ "

"It's a virus, kid." Storm muttered.

"I wonder why Dr Cain hasn't discovered this yet," Spark said, biting his lip. "The maverick outbreak must be eating away at him...for his creations to go mad, and commit massacres like this..."

"Hopefully he'll catch on. I have a sense that the virus is more complex than an average anti – tech's dream come true." Chill commented. Everyone looked disturbed at the idea.

Sting Chameleon tried to mess with X – using his camouflage ability to sneak attack and catch the younger warrior off guard. But X was elevated by his need to protect the rest of the forest, and he trapped Sting in a surprisingly vicious cycle of jumps before eventually slicing him in half with the cutter.

With a flash, Sting landed on his side, legs pulled up in a feeble attempt to protect his stomach. When Flame reached out and touched his shoulder, he lashed out and scrambled backwards.

"The hate...I had...oh, god above..." Sting lamented, crumbling in on himself. He had loved animals, though he tried to hide it under his professionalism.

"It's over, Sting." Kuwanger told his companion, placing a hand on the other hunter's shoulder. "It's over now. You're back to yourself."

"None of our corrupted selves are there to distract the hunters anymore." Chill said with palpable rage. "Finally, Sigma may just get what he deserves."

 **End Chapter**

 _ **I have a weird idea for when I either finish this or The Ultimate Program - doing a canon meshing of the Zero series and the Starforce series. I only have a vague outline, but the idea is sticking with me.**_

 _ **Read and Review please!**_


	3. Chapter 3

**The Mavericks Watch the X Series**

 _ **Wanda: Oh, I forgot to mention last time! I finally got to read an English translation of the X1 Manga, and I have to say I really, really love what I've read so far. It makes me want to cuddle X so much, and it's really epic. I wish that there was an english version of the following manga, but my current search hasn't turned up anything. Armour and Sting were slightly inspired by their manga counterparts, pre-and post infection.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own the Mega Man Series.**_

 **Chapter 3: X1 – Sigma's First Finale**

"He would have needed a lot of resources to outfit that tower to this extent!" Mammoth said as they warily examined the massive building X and Zero were facing.

"Sigma has been busy." Kuwanger acknowledged. "I imagine he broke down most of the defences from my tower to forfeit his base of operations."

Since now a long and aurderous climb was standing between the two Maverick Hunters and Sigma, the eight boss's attentions were wavering slightly. Spark wasn't focusing on the screen at the moment. He was trying to distract and cheer up Sting Chameleon, who's mood was still quite low. Armour and Launch were having a shooting contest, using emptied canisters as targets. Storm had joined a few rounds in, much to the flabbergasted surprise of Chill and Mammoth. Storm was usually so professional!

"Hey hey! That's bullshit!" Launch protested. Storm smirked at his wingmate, before effortlessly shooting down the moving container with a single bullet. The speeding can was thrown to the far side of the room.

"Eyes of an Eagle, remember?" Storm said smugly.

"I demand an extension of this competition!" Launch said indigently. "Hand to hand sparring as well. We'll see if you're still smirking then!"

"Oh come on, Launch. This is a friendly bout, not a competition," Armour started. When the two turned to give him a dry look, he added, "Because if it was, _I would win_."

"Big words there, Armour." Launch threatened. "I thought a warrior didn't brag?"

"That isn't bragging. It's a fact." Armour said matter-of-factly, his usual playful grin spreading across his face. It was an expression he often wore when he was showing a newbie the ropes, or drinking with companions. It made the stoic warrior warm and approachable, which was why he had possessed the largest unit out of all eight of them.

"...The most annoying thing about that is that you aren't wrong." Storm said. Then he grinned. "Of course, we can always put that to the test!"

"Well, at least someone's having fun," Kuwanger said dryly. Then he picked his blade up off the chair next to him and strode back towards them. "Shout when they run into Sigma or his enforcer."

Spark sighed, a mixture of exasperation and affection contained in his voice. "Those four...at least this place is spacious!" Mammoth chuckled in agreement. Sting managed to laugh at last, watching Kuwanger as he yanked Launch backwards and started the duel. Storm and Armour were already in the thick of sparring.

"Hey Sting, how about you try one?" Mammoth handed over a plate. Sting's eyes widened in surprise; on it was a series of cookies shaped as various animals. "More compliments from our hostess, I believe. I found them near the EC. They're quite good."

Sting shifted the goggles to above his eyes and tentatively picked up a pink and red painted elephant. He ate it in two bites and a spark fluttered to life in his eyes. He gave his former teaching partner a pleading look, causing Mammoth to chuckle and hand him the entire plate.

"He's only facing cannon fodder here, I know, but it's truly incredible how quickly X has advanced." Chill remarked, watching the blue hunter pull off a mid air dash to reach a dangling ladder and use it to pull himself further up the tower. "He's moving like a veteran."

Sting nibbled on another cookie before finally saying, "You know, Dr Cain once talked to me about where he found X's capsule."

Chill started and gave the deep cover agent a surprised look. "He did?"

"Yes. Light's buried lab was mostly destroyed except for the capsule itself, but one of the computers still had several video files on it." Sting recalled. "In them, Doctor Light spoke of the diagnostics that X had been undergoing for nearly a hundred years, asking that the capsule not be opened before they were completed. But that isn't what was so fascinating, not really."

"Then what was?" Chill gave Sting an annoyed side eye when the only-slightly-taller reploid tilted his head to the right like he didn't understand the question. "You know I don't like it when you do that."

"It's for the dramatics!" String protested. "We're talking about Doctor Light and his final child!"

Chill favoured him with a flat look. "I know. It was one of the first things we _ever_ learned."

"You are _so_ humourless." String grumbled. Straightening up a bit, he said, "Well, Doctor Light had an entire file dedicated to him just talking about X – not his mechanics, but his life and his _name_. Did you ever wonder why X was called...well...X?"

"Occasionally...I admit I had never thought to ask," Chill said.

"Doctor Light called him X because he contains unlimited possibilities, and potential." Sting said, as though reciting from the video file itself. "He said that X's predecessor had a personality and a 'soul', but he didn't have true autonomy. It was restricted by the Three Laws, and other mechanics that controlled the robots. Light said that he was ashamed he hadn't given his first son and daughter the power to choose like humans could. So when he built X, he bucked law and convention and _didn't leave in the three laws_. That was considered an unthinkable risk back then."

"If they could see us now, they'd probably argue they were right." Spark noted with a sad sigh.

Sting shook his head. "Actually, no." Spark, Chill and Mammoth both snapped their heads towards him and he said, "Light, in the file, said that without the power to choose, you aren't truly alive. Humans have the power to choose, and to choose wrong. Has anyone – besides Doctor Wily, who we'll just agree doesn't count – ever declared that humanity should be wiped out for those who choose wrong? Light said he trusted X to choose to do right. Because, even though it was restricted by the Three Laws, that is what the original Mega Man had done. And anyone who was built using his blueprints, would be able to do the same. ...That includes _us_."

The four sat in stunned silence, slowly absorbing this information. The newfound connection to their distant father, Thomas Light, a kind and good man who had given them their humanity.

"I...don't even know what to say to that." Chill admitted quietly.

"Without the virus, I think we can agree that we made good choices." Sting said, his eyes sparking. "Now I know...it wasn't pre programming, or just 'duty', like the higher up humans told us...more than that, it was the choices _we_ made. The choices from our souls." He put a hand against his chest.

"But then..." Mammoth slowly shook his massive head. "Then where did the virus come from? It...for it to overwhelm the choice that Doctor Light gave us? It _can't_ be some sort of run-of-the-mill anti-tech fever dream. It must be complex beyond imagining."

"Which begs the question..." Chill's eyes narrowed. "Who the hell _made_ it."

The screen shivered, and a brutal, familiar laugh echoed across the form. Kuwanger, Launch, Storm and Armour stopped their activities in an instant, while the four in the chairs snapped their attention directly to the screen. They all knew that voice and had grown to be wary and fearful of it.

Renegade Vile.

X and Zero were standing in a narrow hallway, facing the laughing maverick.

" _Stay here!_ " Zero warned X before dashing forwards as Vile jumped into the back room.

"Why the hell is he running?" Kuwanger demanded, his eyes narrowing as he slipped into the seat next to Chill. "Vile never retreats, even when it's the tactically smart thing to do."

"It's a trap!" Sting said fearfully. Armour's eyes narrowed; he had come to the same conclusion.

X, while he couldn't hear their voices, seemed to share their concerns. He disobeyed his friend and teacher for likely the first time and dashed after him, following the sounds of crashing and static crackling. Sure enough, when he reached the room, he found Zero damaged and trapped in a prison capsule. Standing between them was the biggest ride armour any of them had ever seen...piloted by Vile himself.

"What the...!" Storm gasped. "That isn't a Ride Armour that's been on the assembly line!"

"He must have modified it himself...! There's no way that thing is built within the legal limits," Sting said frantically. "Look, Kuwanger! It has pirated versions of your cutter built into it's hands! And Armour – that's the same ceratanium alloy that was used for your shield!"

Armour gritted his teeth. "I see it! I wouldn't have pegged Vile as smart enough to refit his machinery. He must have hidden it deliberately under his sadism...!"

The power of the armour was undeniable. The eight watched, locked in anticipation and increasing alarm as X was battered down by the hulking mech suit. Eventually Vile burst out a modified capture version of Spark's weapon – sending the usually quiet ex hunter into a flurry of profanity that had Kuwanger looking impressed – and trapped X.

 _Is this the end?_ The eight wondered, locked in a shared horror.

It wasn't. But the answer for it was equally devastating.

Zero, seeing his friend about to die, burst out of container and grappled onto the back of Vile's mech. His body began to glow brilliantly, and Kuwanger realized what he was about to do seconds before it happened. The power overload exploded and filled the room with brilliant white light, causing everyone to shield their eyes.

When the light faded, the armoured monstrosity had been blown to pieces. Vile staggered to his feet in the centre of the room, looking furious. " _A useless gesture!_ " he bellowed, pointing his shoulder canon at X. However, the tears dripping down the blue hunter's face were at odds with the fresh rage in his eyes.

X burst out of the lightning, his energy instantly refilling. Spark barely had a moment to register his surprise before X was off in a blur of light. Vile, who so often brutally slaughtered people around him, found himself being forced onto the defensive, growing more and more alarmed as the fight drew on. He unleashed all his power...but it wasn't enough.

X blasted a hole straight through his chest, nearly ripping him in half. The renegade's visor flickered twice, and he fell to the ground like a puppet with his strings cut. X stood still for a moment, making sure that the Renegade was down, before dashing over to Zero's damaged form.

Spark choked and wouldn't look at the screen anymore. Kuwanger crossed his arms and looked away, refusing to let his emotions show on his face. Storm and Armour were equally and visibly distraught.

" _...G-Go on ahead, X..."_

" _No! I can't...I can't leave you here...!"_

" _...You d-don't have the time...go on."_

" _I...I can't defeat Sigma. Not without you!"_

Zero actually smiled. It was such a rare sight that once again, each of the strong and disciplined warriors found themselves near tears. Sting didn't bother concealing it. Zero had been his teacher back in the Academy.

" _...Yes you can._ " His hand brushed against X's arm canon, giving it new and deeply personal energy. _"G-Go on...Maverick Hunter X."_

X took a heavy breath, looking in despair down at his dear friend. He squeezed Zero's hand, before obediently standing up, and shakily made his way forward. He kept looking back until the room was no longer able to be seen.

However, instead of following X as it usually did, the camera lingered on Zero, even after his eyes closed. After a strange sped up sequence – like someone had hit fast forward on a movie – a small, hunchback figure skittered out of the darkness and knelt next to the red hunter's brutalized and manged body.

"My son...my _son_. Look at what that brute did to you..."

Storm and Chill both sucked in shocked breaths. "Son...?!" Mammoth said in disbelief. "But...that can't be possible...Dr Cain said..."

"...For that _remnant?_ That memento of _Light_?!" The hunchback snarled, before leaning down and taking the headpiece. "No... _unacceptable!_ "

"Don't touch him!" Sting burst out. "Don't you dare touch him!" Spark put a calming hand on the smaller reploid's shoulder, his eyes serious as he watched the scene.

The hunchback was about to take the control chip when sirens burst through the air. He looked up to see other Maverick Hunters entering the scene. Cursing in rage, the hunchback cut his losses and fled, taking many of Zero's parts with him.

"...What the _fuck_ was that?" Launch said, putting all his rage and confusion into one expletive.

The screen temporarily went black, and text appeared on it.

 _It was a revenant from time past. It will become clear as soon as I can make it._

"...A revenant..." Kuwanger's optics narrowed. "I don't like the sound of that."

"None of us do." Chill noted darkly.

 **~Line Break~**

"What the _fuck_ is that?" Launch nearly fled out of his seat head before heels at what he was seeing on screen. His fellow ex hunters could hardly blame him; what X was facing on screen was a perfect replica of Launch's living body, with dead and lifeless eyes and a perfect replica of his voice.

"I have a theory," Kuwanger said lowly. "And you know...I'm _really_ starting to hate Sigma."

"And...?" Sting looked nervously at his fellow 'wall breaker' hunter.

"They're pirate copies of our bodies." Kuwanger said. "Clones that lack a personality matrix. They're little more than drones, using our faces."

"That...that's an insult and a cruelty I can barely comprehend." Armour managed at last.

There was one for each of them. Chill scowled darkly at his copy. Sting looked like he'd like no better than to hide under his chair when he saw his. Mammoth winced as his copy's insane laughter. Kuwanger showed no emotion, but inside he was livid. Storm cursed at their former leader when he saw imposter was knocked down. Armour merely grimaced and called his copy a 'pale imitation'. Spark steadily examined the floor as his was taken down.

Once he had finished all seven copies, X took a moment and slumped against the wall, plainly exhausted.

"C'mon, X." Storm whispered. "You're almost there."

"There's just one left." Kuwanger agreed. "If anyone can take that bastard, it's you."

X raised his head towards the sky, almost as if he could hear them. His eyes flared with controlled, angry resolve, and he made his way through the rest of the building with the eight avidly watching his every move. X climbed the side of Sigma's massive throne and faced the man with palpable rage.

Sigma, when seeing this, actually _chuckled_. Sting seethed in rage at the noise. " _I see a new clarity in your eyes. You are no longer troubled._ "

Some time ago, that might have intimidated X. Not anymore. " _What you've done is unforgivable, Sigma!"_

"True enough." Chill muttered.

"Go get him, X! Blast him to pieces and bury one on each continent!" Launch ranted, tightly squeezing the armrests of his chair.

"Bury him? Have a little pity for the environment, Launch. No, leave it to rust and rot. It's no less than this bastard deserves." Armour said coolly.

Kuwanger said nothing, but tilted his head towards Armour to indicate his agreement.

The battle was long, the battle was arduous. Sigma threw absolutely everything at the blue Hunter, even a super fusion body. But X never faltered, not even for a second. He switched between weapons as easily as breathing, discovered weaknesses and exploited them.

And eventually Sigma fell defeated.

X slumped against the wall again, letting out a single long breath. "...It's done."

 **~Line Break~**

The screen flickered.

"That's all for now. The timeline will need a moment to catch up."

All eight ex hunters jumped to their feet in shock. A warm white light appeared right in front of them, before disappating to reveal the young, elflike girl, her feet touching down on the ground without a sound. She smiled gently at all of them.

"You must have questions."

They had, in fact, but faced with her, not in a flickering form but clear as day, they found themselves at loss for words. Though, perhaps somewhat predictably, Sting spoke up first.

"Vile didn't come and join us. I thought we were all infected. Why...?"

The girl's eyes shadowed slightly, and she let out a sad sigh. "You spoke about choice, Sting. Unlike the eight of you, Vile is a Maverick on his own free will."

"Is?" Kuwanger asked sharply. "You don't mean was?"

The cyber elf shook her head. "How could he have survived that?" The assassin asked, unnerved.

She crossed her arms slightly, a troubled look on her face. "I...am not completely certain. By all physical means, he is truly dead – it would take a genius to resurrect his body to a living state. But his soul refuses to move on...it's as if his hatred anchors him to the living realm."

"That's...that is disturbing to even consider." Spark said, eyes wide. "How could _anyone_ be so twisted?"

The cyber elf shook her head slightly.

"..." Armour knelt in front of the cyber elf, bowing his head. "What is your name, my lady?"

The elf flushed slightly, before smiling and gesturing for him to stand up. "I've been called many things...the Mother, the Healer..." she hesitated for a second, before going on, "but the one who first gave me life called me Amitica."

"Why are you saving us?" Storm asked, his voice hushed.

Amitica's eyes flashed. "Because you do not deserve to die. I refuse to let Sigma and his progenitor drag your souls down to hell along with him. I have purged his corruption. I will rescue everyone I can."

"Then he isn't done yet." Spark said heavily.

Amitica shook her head. "No. As a virus, the destruction of his body is not his end. It will delay him, which is why we're catching up with the living timeline, but it will not stop him. Not yet."

"Is there anything we can do? Except watch?" Mammoth asked quietly.

Amitica gave him a gentle, sympathetic look. "In time...? ...Yes."

 **End Chapter**

 _ **Yes, I actually have a surprise 'ending' planned for when our lovely ex Mavericks get through all eight games. When i get there I hope you'll like it!**_

 _ **Read and Review please!**_


	4. Chapter 4

**The Mavericks Watch the X Series**

 _ **Wanda: Hey everyone! Sorry for the wait, I discovered a distraction called Code Geass and it ended up distracting me from Mega Man. I had a bit of writer's block while writing this, which I'm sorry about, but I hope it's a decent start.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own the Mega Man series.**_

 **Chapter 4: X2 part 1**

Amitica walked up to the screen and lightly touched her fingers against it. The massive tv flickered, and then came into focus on a road full of gunfire, where X – now a commander leading the Hunters against remnant maverick groups – was leading the charge.

"How long has it been?" Storm asked curiously.

"Six months," Amitica responded, taking a step backwards. On the screen, a green armoured reploid popped a wheelie and was shot down by the maverick forces, earning a snicker from Chill and a disapproving look from Mammoth. "Despite Sigma's defeat, many of his splintered forces were still causing damage among the world. It was far more minor than what they were achieving under his command, but still dangerous. ...Of course, that's all about to change."

"That scale faced freak who took Zero's parts is involved, isn't he?" Sting asked darkly. He had some hero worship towards the red reploid ever since his activation.

Amitica nodded. "The virus is connected to that history and the revenant. Eight more hunters have been infected as a part of this plan."

Chill hissed in displeasure. Amitica nodded, and with a ripple of space-time she disappeared again.

"Hey, why do you suppose X is missing those armour upgrades from before?" Storm asked curiously as the blue hunter leapt off the bike, allowing it to crash through the doors and create an opening for him. Charing his buster, a determined looking X entered the maverick infested building alone, to Amour's mingled admiration and impression at how far the former B class had come.

"I think he still has them, sort of." Sting said, pointing to silver or slightly darker blue chunks of X's armour. "He's just cut down on them. Some of the protection is still there, he just ditched damaged or fragmented parts from his battle with Sigma."

"Makes sense," Launch admitted. Despite being victorious, X had taken some heavy damage during his first battle against the living virus. Likely parts of the armour had been broken beyond repair, given the power of his enemy.

"Yeah. Dr Cain probably salvaged what he could and added it to X's standard armour." Chill guessed.

Meanwhile, X fell through the ceiling of a massive room, only to come face to face with a mech nearly five stories tall – though thankfully, with an obvious damage point. The head armour was pathetically weak, with most of the strength being in the hands.

"...Seriously? Is that their best?" Armour asked mockingly. "I could scrap that thing with my eyes closed. Size doesn't always equal power."

Mammoth gave him a mild side eye, his massive frame shivering slightly as he sat back in his correspondingly huge seat. "Oh? Is that so?"

"Which, when I said that, implies that while power does mean strength, it doesn't always mean that," Armour amended quickly.

Mammoth grinned at his friend. "That's better."

"Should be a bit more careful, Armour," Storm said teasingly. Armour made a slight face, but accepted the embarrassment with a chuckle.

X cleared out the base, looking for new information. Chill noticed a change in posture and expressions the blue hero was showing. His warm disposition and gentleness remained, but now there was a calm strength and certainty to him. The lessons of the original uprising had weighed harshly on the original reploid, but he had learned a lot. It was a good look on him. Once he had finished scouting out the building, he returned to Maverick HQ.

In Zero's current absence, X seemed to have been unofficially elected his replacement in the eyes of the other hunters – especially the rookies. Two hunters broke off from their boss to speak with X, informing him of the new eight maverick leaders before Dr Cain could even emerge from his office to give the official debriefing.

X seemed surprised by this, which caused Kuwanger no end of amusement. "He has no idea. The effect he has on others," The assassin reploid remarked with a chuckle.

"That's humility for ya," Sting noted, nudging Storm significantly as he said this. The eagle rolled his eyes amusedly in response. Storm had a history of downplaying his accomplishments, or giving the credit to other members of his squads, when commendations were handed out.

Dr Cain delivered the mission report, revealing the eight new targets. Wire Sponge, Bubble Crab, Magna Centipede, Morph Moth, Crystal Snail, Overdrive Ostrich, Flame Stag and Wheel Gator.

Storm sucked in a breath. "I know him," he said quietly, pointing a finger at Overdrive Ostrich. "We trained at the academy together, graduated together. He specializes in desert superiority. He's a good person..." His jaw clenched.

"Morph Moth was my subordinate before I was moved into the forest," Sting said, distraught. "We only lost contact a week before X killed me. Did...did I infect you, Morph?"

Mammoth reached down with one hand and squeezed the reploid's shoulder comfortingly. Despite his great skill, Sting was often considered the child of the group given his strong, sincere emotional reactions to whatever he was confronting. "Sigma infected him, Sting. Don't forget that."

"I'm surprised Magna's gotten mixed up in this," Chill mused. "He's always been very solitary; hiding out in his base or in the data streams. I would have thought the virus wouldn't be able to reach him."

"No one's safe from this virus," Launch sighed.

X was moving again. He transported to the first place, the deeply forested area controlled by various environmental systems. Rain lashed down violently at the entrance, falling so thick visibility within a few feet was terrible. Move to far to the right of the left and the rain was replaced by boiling heat; water that hit the stones immediately evaporated and it would cause a human great pain to touch anything in this area. Even a reploid's advanced system would have trouble coping with the strain these alternating weathers caused.

X teleported down and moved through the area as quickly as possible.

"Damn." Storm exhaled. When the others looked curiously at him, he explained, "I had looked into this environmental system back during its inception. It wasn't supposed to be able to go to extremes like this. Wire must have modified it once he took control here."

"Do you suppose the people who had been maintaining this place were able to evacuate?" Spark wondered with a mixture of hope and fear.

The answer to that question, as X (and by extension, them) discovered, was 'yes and no'. Some had managed to leave in time, but there were still bodies and wounded, exhausted victims for the blue reploid to discover as he moved forward. X transported away every individual still breathing, even when it required that he stop and experience the side effects of the weather.

"Do we know anything about Wire?" Chill asked curiously.

"Few circuits short of a board," Launch muttered. Armour gave him a disapproving whack, causing him to yelp and scowl at his friend. "What? It's true."

"He was somewhat eccentric." Armour corrected him. "Not everyone felt comfortable around him, but he did his job well."

"That may not bode well..." Spark said in concern.

X walked into the final control room and called out for Wire. Immediately the greenish, hapazard looking reloid crashed to the ground, spinning his weapons around. Launch wondered, somewhat unkindly, what had been on the mind of the person who developed Wire.

It wasn't a hard fight, though whether or not that was related to X's new experience or Wire's apparent lack of understanding of his surroundings. Throughout the battle, Wire seemed to be partially blind – whenever he threw his lightning bolts, he would miss X by at least two feet.

"Is he falling apart?" Chill wondered.

In the end, X blasted Wire's head off when the short circuting reploid made one final attempt to electrocute his opponent. A few moments later, Wire was deposited, somewhat roughly, on the ground. Both Spark and Chill walked over to meet him.

Wire's breath was laboured. "The pain...the pain...the pain...is gone?" He wondered, gasping.

"It's all right," Spark said soothingly. "It's over, Wire Sponge. It's all over."

"I..." Wire twisted his head to the right and to the left. "I...it really is...I can see properly again. I can hear...the burning sensation is gone." He looked between the two, recognition slowly flitting through his now clear eyes. "I know you. Commander Chill?"

"I highly doubt I'm a commander anymore, but yes. It's me." Chill admitted, offering the newcomer a helping hand up. "And this is some sort of purgatory. The virus is gone."

"The...virus...of course." Wire collapsed in on himself a bit. "I remember...it started destroying and decaying my thoughts and my body. When...when that blue hunter came to me, I could barely speak, couldn't think clearly. I...I was _rabid._ " He shivered. "I think I would have fallen apart even if he hadn't come to kill me."

Storm, Mammoth and Kuwanger exchanged uneasy looks. "That didn't happen to us..." Storm muttered. "The aggression, the violence, that was all real, but we didn't experience any degradation."

"That can only mean one thing," Kuwanger noted darkly. "The virus is evolving."

"Virus? You're talking about it as if it's one entity..." Wire said, before he looked around the group and recognized everyone there. "W-Wait...all of you...you were the first..."

"Sigma is the name of a powerful virus that is behind the Maverick uprising; at least to a major extent." Mammoth told him. "Sigma infected us first because we were in his unit, and the closest to him. Then we spread the infection further, to the other reploids who went violent during those months."

"Then...and then it came to me and my unit, after Sigma was destroyed." Wire realized. "So that's why Wheel was building that thing...!"

"What thing?" Sting asked.

An almighty crash on the screen answered that question for Wire. They all turned around to see a massive tank barrelling towards one of the cities on the island, turning everything in its wake to glass. And standing on the bridge was Wheel Gator, his maw locked in a twisted grin, eyes glowing malevolently with the power of the virus.

"Ooooh god above," Spark swore, somewhat panicked. "He made that thing? By himself?!"

"Wheel's a brilliant engineer." Wire said nervously. "He built many of the weapons and area patrols that our unit uses. He kept saying something about a pet project shortly after I started feeling the infection set in...this must be it!"

"That thing's the size of a damned battle cruiser! How is he fuelling it?!" Storm wondered.

"Forget _that_ , how the hell is there a damned capsule from Dr Light on that bloody thing?!" Sting yelped when the capsule in question came into view. "What, did Wheel think it was spare slag and build it in? Or did he plant it there?!"

"I don't know!" Wire protested. "If he told me anything about it, it's lost in my burned memory."

X scrambled through the tank as it violently pitched from left to right, shuddering and moaning as it ground everything it passed over into glass and dust. Eventually he reached the cockpit, only to find himself up to his knees in oil. "An alligator in shallow water..." the blue hero said aloud, grimacing. "this isn't good."

Sure enough, Wheel Gator exploded out of the oil slick and snapped his jaws tightly around X's midsection. The hunter managed to blow him away with a few well placed charge shots, jumping backwards to put some distance between them.

Both Kuwanger and Armour couldn't help but let out low whistles of admiration at Wheel Gator's fighting style. He was both bulky and very fast, a rare and great combination for a warrior – it was something he and Armour had in common.

"You two should get along well," Launch noted to his best friend, as Wheel appeared in a soft flash of light on the floor of the room; following his eventual defeat.

X had to lean against the wall, exhausted, for a few seconds before warping out. It had been one of the closest battles he'd experienced since Sigma or Kuwanger.

Wire immediately went to his friend's side. "Wheel? Wheel, please say something."

For a few seconds, Wheel was silent. Finally, he quietly rasped out, with a soft voice at odds with his massive and savage looking frame, "...Wire...? ...I thought I was an monster."

 **End Chapter**

 _ **It was a bit difficult coming up with Wire Sponge, because I thought he was a relentlessly silly maverick. I mean...a sponge? But I hope you like what I eventually went with.**_

 _ **Read and Review please!**_


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